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Charlotte Elleray has suffered with pain from endometriosis since she was nine years old (Photo: Charlotte Elleray)

Charlotte Elleray has suffered from crippling pain and bloating from her periods since she was 11 years old.

Now 24, she’s endured five operations to treat endometriosis – a condition that could rob her of her fertility.

She now fears she may never have children, after she was told by her specialist that “only cancer patients can get their eggs frozen on the NHS“.

Endometriosis – which affects one in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK – causes the lining of the uterus to grow outside the womb, attaching to other organs and causing severe pain.

The 24-year-old shows the swelling of her tummy she suffers several times a week (Photo: Charlotte Elleray)

Charlotte told i: “I’m single right now but I have always wanted to have children in the future. I don’t think it’s fair that only cancer patients can get their eggs frozen and I feel women with endometriosis should be entitled to support too.”

Debilitating disease

People don’t realise that endometriosis is more than just painful periods

Charlotte Elleray

The airport security officer, from Oldham, was diagnosed with the condition at just 13 years old after she had a laparoscopy –an operation in which a camera is inserted into the pelvis via a small cut near the navel.

Genetics can play a role in endometriosis, and Charlotte’s auntie and grandmother also have suffered with the condition.

The pain is deep-seated in her pelvis and radiates into her groin, legs and moves in her abdomen, feeling like a constant aching with stabbing attacks.

Charlotte has often been house-bound with painful periods that last for two weeks and this has had a huge impact on her schooling, career and social life.

Charlotte has had five operations so far to treat the condition – and is on the waiting list for a sixth (Photo: Charlotte Elleray)

“The pain is so bad painkillers – even strong ones like codeine – don’t ease it at all,” she said. “People don’t realise that endometriosis is more than just painful periods, it can be really debilitating.

“I missed a lot of school and couldn’t go on nights out with friends. When I was 21 I woke up in a big pool of my own blood.

“My stomach bloats right up about three times a week and I have to wear jeans a size larger.

“My current employer is very understanding but I’ve worked at places where they thought I could just take some painkillers and get on with it. There’s been days I just can’t get out of bed for the agony.”

Over the years, tissue has formed on Charlotte’s ovaries vagina, cervix, and rectum. She also suffers from pain during sex, an increased need to urinate and constipation.

Being treated with hormone medicines and contraceptives – including the pill and the coil – hasn’t prevented the tissue from growing back.

She has had surgery to cut away the growths which has brought some relief – but typically only for a few months.

‘Postcode’ fertility treatment

Genetics can play a role in endometriosis – and Charlotte’s auntie and grandmother also have suffered with the condition (Photo: Charlotte Elleray)

Surgery to remove endometriosis tissue can help improve a patient’s chances of getting pregnant, although there’s no guarantee, according to the NHS.

“My specialist told me my fertility will be very low because of a combination of the tissue growth and my ovaries having so much scar tissue, or damage, from all the operations,” said Charlotte.

Fertility treatment funded by the NHS varies across the UK – egg freezing is not normally available on the NHS unless you are having medical treatment which could affect your fertility, for example, treatment for cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines state that all fertility options should be available for women suffering endometriosis – but final decisions are down to individual local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and depend on the assessment of a patient’s circumstances.

NHS Oldham CCG has been approached for comment.

Charlotte has now set up a GoFundMe page to ask for the public’s help to fund the estimated cost of £9,500 to freeze her eggs privately. To donate, visit here.

Pain in your lower tummy or back (pelvic pain) – usually worse during your period

Period pain that stops you doing your normal activities

Pain during or after sex

Pain when peeing or pooing during your period

Feeling sick, constipation, diarrhoea, or blood in your pee during a period

Difficulty getting pregnant

You may also have heavy periods – you might use lots of pads or tampons, or you may bleed through your clothes. For some women, endometriosis can have a big impact on their life and may sometimes lead to feelings of depression.

The cause of endometriosis isn’t known. Several theories have been suggested, including:

Genetics – the condition tends to run in families, and affects people of certain ethnic groups more than others

Retrograde menstruation – when some of the womb lining flows up through the fallopian tubes and embeds itself on the organs of the pelvis, rather than leaving the body as a period

A problem with the immune system (the body’s natural defence against illness and infection)

Endometrium cells spreading through the body in the bloodstream or lymphatic system (a series of tubes and glands that form part of the immune system)

But none of these theories fully explain why endometriosis occurs. It’s likely the condition is caused by a combination of different factors.

Prince Philip’s car crash illustrates how the rest of us pay for the recklessness of the privileged

Woman with stage 4 cancer and no hair 'not sick enough' for benefits

Beth Kerridge: 'I gave up sculpture to help Tom get a Michelin star'

The story of Billy Moore’s time in a brutal Thai prison is now a movie, but he won’t see it – because he’s back in jail

The little-known cause in four in 10 women's pelvic pain

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